The present invention relates to an amusement park attraction having a dynamic ride vehicle for enhancing the sensation of vehicle motion and travel experienced by passengers moving through the attraction in the vehicle.
Amusement park mania is a well known phenomenon of the twentieth century. Since the evolution of the amusement park ride, patrons have demanded, and gotten, greater and greater thrills--provided by bigger and better roller coasters and amusement park rides. The classic roller coaster--a man-made mechanical caterpillar which provided unmatched drama--ran furiously, climbing, dropping and turning tortuously at break neck speeds. Other types of rides, such as the Ferris wheel introduced a century ago, provided the guest with new and different experiences. To survive, though, amusement parks needed to intensify their ride experiences to compete with new inventions such as the automobile, which were becoming increasingly available to the public.
In the past, a typical ride experience was provided by a ride vehicle configured with a seating area for one or more passengers, attached to a wheeled-chassis that followed a predetermined path such as a track or rail system. This ride vehicle, although quite successful, was not without certain recognized limitations and drawbacks. For example, the passenger's sensation of vehicle motion was generally dictated by the velocity of the vehicle and the shape or contour of the path followed. To give the passenger the sensation of accelerating rapidly or turning a sharp corner very fast, the vehicle must actually accelerate rapidly or turn a sharp corner very fast. The ability to provide rapid accelerations and sharp turns at fast speeds, however, is limited by engineering design and the desire to prevent passenger exposure to unacceptable safety risks.
Since it was impossible for guests to actually fly at amusement parks without danger, every trick of the trade was used to duplicate flight, aerial acts, bicycle jumps, and other stunts. Rides began to rely on illusion; illusion, or deception, made the impossible possible at amusement parks. One ride, a large swing, was hung from a bar extending across a room near the ceiling. Guests perceived the swing gently rocking back and forth, increasing in fury until the ride completely somersaulted. Actually the swing barely moved. It was the room with furniture glued to the floor that was being rocked and turned upside-down. It worked. Passengers grabbed anything and everyone in sight to keep from falling. Thus, illusion combined with new technology opened a showcase of unbelievable ideas.
As amusement parks developed, guests wanted not only bigger thrills, guests wanted the rides to be a totally integrated experience. When it was technically impossible to increase the ride experience with clever vehicle or track use, themeing of rides was used. Themed rides from the turn of the century included elaborate dioramas and environments which adorned early roller coasters. Ride vehicles were often paraded through dark enclosures. As the ride vehicle traveled along its fixed path, it passed scenery and props designed to amuse and entertain. These scenic railways astounded passengers by giving them a simulated taste of locales most had only read about in books.
Although technological advances eventually rendered early roller coasters quaint and--eventually-- obsolete, the desire for enhanced rides made possible by technology advances did not wane. At theme parks such as Disneyland.RTM. Park in Anaheim, Calif., guests thrilled to themed rides that took them on undersea voyages, soared them on trips to outer space and whisked them on adventures to the Swiss Alps.
A limitation of the themed ride vehicle was that it followed a singular, predetermined path through the attraction. As a result, there was little or no versatility in the ride experience. The guest was exposed to the same ride experience each time, giving little incentive to re-ride the attraction. Some themed ride vehicles were further enhanced by providing minor interactively by permitting the guest to direct the lateral travel of the ride vehicle by steering it within a defined range along a fixed path, and by controlling the rate of speed. However, the themed ride experience could not be substantially changed. The time and expense associated with changing the ride experience, either by altering the vehicle path or replacing the ride scenery, usually are prohibitive.
Since these ride vehicles move through an attraction that covers a great area, and since space in amusement attractions is often at a premium, and it is desirable to operate a plurality of ride vehicles simultaneously, to accommodate a large number of would-be passengers and avoid lines. Thus, many rides, including roller coasters, flumed log rides, visual tours and the like, typically operate a large number of ride vehicles at one time, with staggered departure of adjacent ride vehicles along their closed-loop path. This method of operation has created the need for control systems that are designed to ensure against collision among the ride vehicles. Electronic and other vehicle motion control systems are often employed to regulate power to ride vehicle drive mechanisms, or to control path-mounted brake mechanisms that regulate the spacing between ride vehicles.
For example, many roller coasters and log flume rides typically elevate each ride vehicle, which is thereafter motivated along the associated path by the force of gravity. The control systems of these rides may use path-mounted sensors, or alternatively, human operators positioned along the path, to control brake mechanisms to maintain vehicle spacing. Other attractions use a plurality of platen drives, having a wheel or other path-mounted drive element that contacts a platen of each ride vehicle, to drive and control speed of the ride vehicles at all locations along the path. In these systems, electronic control systems which are external to the vehicle directly control vehicle speed, and there are typically no electronics or speed devices aboard any of the vehicles.
In other vehicles, individual electric motors or other propulsion devices are used to drive ride vehicles, frequently without the necessity of having an operator stationed in each vehicle. In these ride vehicles, electric power is supplied through a power bus, mounted adjacent to the path, which the ride vehicle taps and uses to operate its motor. A central controller is used to monitor the proximity of vehicles and shut-off power to a particular zone, or section of the path, having a ride vehicle that is closely spaced to a predecessor, or during an emergency condition.
The ability to safely combine the perception of speed, boldness and recklessness with the theme, and unite them throughout the ride by a continuity of mood is paramount to the guest. To achieve this goal, ride designers experimented by departing from conventional roller coaster technology in favor of simulated thrills and the wide-screen cinema. Through sound and wide-screen image, it was possible to create point of view roller coaster footage which embraced the spectator--the simulated roller coaster. Heads tilted, eyes dilated, and brows dripped as guests felt the deep hills, abrupt turns, and even the velocity without ever leaving their theater seats. These experiences were further enhanced by the advent of motion simulators and their addition of actual audience motion to the spectacle of wide-screen movies.
Motion simulator ride vehicles simulate vehicle motion, and are typically operated entirely in an enclosed area such as a room. The simulator vehicles generally have a body with a passenger seating area which is movably supported by a motion apparatus having multiple actuators mounted above a platform. The platform is fixed and does not move; motion is imparted to the passenger seating area by multiple actuators. In use, guests seated in the passenger seating area view a wide-screen movie which corresponds to a pre-determined pattern of vehicle travel. During the film, the passenger seating area is moved in various directions for the purpose of simulating the motion of a ride vehicle as it follows the predetermined path of travel depicted on the wide-screen movie. For example, when the sensation of acceleration is desired, the passenger seating area is pitched backward slowly and practically undetectably, and then pitched forward rapidly (through rotational acceleration) to a level position as the vehicle speed seems to increase--corresponding to a visual impression created by the film. When the sensation of turning a corner is required, the passenger seating area is rolled to one side and then back to a level position, in cooperation with the film's depiction of an actual "turn." Other vehicle motion sensations can be simulated using appropriate visual imagery and articulated motion of the passenger seating area. One well-known simulator of this type that has been used for years is the "Star Tours" attraction at Disneyland.RTM. Park in Anaheim, Calif.
While ride vehicle motion simulators of this type have come a long way towards providing more dynamic and enhanced sensations, such simulators still fall short of providing an experience that truly emulates a ride through an attraction. Instead, because the simulator remains in a fixed position while the passenger seating area tilts in various directions corresponding to its simulated path, the guest does not receive the experience of actually traveling through live scenery and props which might otherwise pass by if the vehicle were to physically travel through a live attraction.
Ride vehicle motion simulators also are limited because the guest must usually look forward toward the movie screen in order to obtain and maximize the ride experience. Thus, the effect of being in a moving vehicle is limited by the fact that passengers cannot look sideways, or behind the vehicle. Unless the film viewed by the guest is changed and the motion pattern of the simulator reprogrammed to produce movement corresponding to the new film, which is an expensive undertaking, the guest will be exposed to the same ride experience each time the guest visits the attraction. Therefore, there is generally less incentive by the guest to repeatedly ride the vehicle simulator, as the ride experience will be the same each time. Moreover, motion picture film, no matter how realistic, presents a two-dimensional image that does not accurately recreate the impression that an actual three-dimensional object produces.
Today, more than ever, theme park guests want to experience the same thrills they see on television and film. Ride designers strive to create attractions which both thrill and realistically immerse the guest in the themed fantasy. The limitation on the guest's experience, was, and is, the technology of the ride vehicle.
Accordingly, there has existed a definite need for an amusement ride vehicle that enhances the sensation of the vehicle's motion and travel experienced by a guest in the vehicle as the vehicle itself physically moves through an actual attraction. There also has existed a definite need for an amusement ride vehicle that is capable of differing sequences of movement each time the ride is experienced, and thus which facilitates and enhances each repeated ride experience. There also has existed a definite need for an amusement ride vehicle that is capable of use in different attraction environments, to provide a greater versatility in the types of attractions in which the ride vehicle can be employed. The present invention satisfies these and other needs and provides further related advantages.